


Like Letters from My Other Life

by lucidscreamer



Series: Sky and Sea [14]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Mermaid, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Drabble Sequence, Family Reunions, Gen, M/M, Not Really Character Death, Prose Poem, Sirens, lost at sea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2019-11-12 02:12:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 3,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18001835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucidscreamer/pseuds/lucidscreamer
Summary: Seto comes looking for answers to his cousin's disappearance. What he finds is unlike anything he could have imagined.





	1. The Grief of Lost Chances

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. No ownership of the canon characters, settings, or events is claimed and none should be implied.
> 
> The merfolk culture in this series is the creation and sole property of Lucidscreamer.

There's a boat above him. Yugi drifts upward until his head breaks the surface, cautious in the open waters.

There's a man on the boat. More than one, perhaps, but only one leaning on the railing, blue eyes searching the waves.

There's a coldness rising like an ill current in Yugi's veins. The man speaks, only a single word: " _Yami_..."

Yugi knows, then, that this man has come looking for Yugi's mate. Time passes differently outside the Misplace; how much has passed since the explosion which brought Yami to him? Nothing can take him back, not now.

Still, Yugi's afraid.

　

o0o

　

It's taken him too long to get here. Seto knew it was always a long shot; the ocean swallows giant ships without a trace, how much easier for it to consume his cousin's yacht? These are the last coordinates from the GPS, but there's nothing here but endless water. He tosses the wreath onto the waves, knowing it's the only memorial Yami will receive.

Seto knew something was suspicious from the moment his father announced that "surprise" party for Yami's twenty-first. Akhnadin had never cared for his nephew; he certainly wouldn't celebrate his birth without some ulterior motive. And then those oh-so-coincidental excuses: a last minute meeting he couldn't avoid, the too-convenient delays that ensured Seto would be absent as well. It shouldn't have been such a surprise when the yacht never returned to port.

"Missing." Yami is missing (until Akhnadin can have him legally declared dead), yet Seto is the one missing him. Missing their rivalry. Missing the competition that honed Seto's edge to a razor sharpness. Seeing, for the first time, all those missed opportunities for what they were, what they could have been. He's missed his chance at so many things (friendship, perhaps even brotherhood). You miss what you never had once the chance to have it is gone. What he hasn't missed, sees all too clearly, is his father's avarice, the way he gloats when he misses Seto's glances. His father did this, killed in cold blood, and when Seto aims to take his vengeance, he won't miss.

　

 


	2. My Heart Won't Let Me Lie to You

Yugi's first impulse is not to tell Yami. But the strange human knows Yami's name, there's a connection. Yami will want to know. Still, fear lingers in Yugi's heart. Not that Yami will leave him for the human world -- Yami is one of them. He can never go back. -- but that this visitor from that world will hurt him.

Yugi will tell him anyway.

Meeting with the human shouldn't be an option. But if Yami insists it happen, then Yugi will make it so. Yugi will deny his mate nothing that he can give him.

Together, they'll plot a reunion.

　

o0o

　

　

When they're alone in their private grotto, Yami's mate tells him about the man he'd seen, in the waters where Yami was meant to die. The _tabu_ forbids contact, and there's no exception this time. But...

"I have to _see_ , to be sure. If it's my cousin... We need to talk."

Clearly having anticipated this, Yugi nods. "Our island, Above. You can meet him there."

"How?" Yami knows the island is Misplaced, though he barely understands the concept. It should be safe enough, if they're careful. But how to lure Seto there?

"Have you forgotten?" Yugi smirks. "We're _Sirens_."

　

　

o0o

　

When Yugi tells him of the boat and the blue-eyed man, Yami isn't sure what to feel. His anger is misdirected (it's not Seto's fault). His elation is strange (they were never that close). His grief is illogical (he has gained more than he lost). His trepidation is, perhaps, understandable (but he refuses to be weak). He settles on confused.

Somehow, Yami knows that only his cousin would have come looking for him after an official search ended. No doubt his uncle made certain any attempts to find him were cursory at best, swift and short, inadvertantly helped along by Yugi's rescue and the magic of the Misplace. So, this man who seeks him now must be Seto. And Yami finds he cannot leave his cousin with so many unanswered questions about Yami's disappearance. If nothing else, Yami wants to give Seto enough rope to hang Akhnadin. Justice for Yami's parents, for himself -- and for Seto, who has always borne the brunt of his father's twisted ambitions. As for Yami's inheritance, better it should all go to Seto than to let Akhnadin touch one red (bloodied) cent.

It's too dangerous to approach Seto in the open ocean. The Charm has greatly expanded its borders, but they do not extend that far, and Yugi says there are other humans with Seto. Bad enough to let one human see them; they do not need to flaunt themselves before an entire crew. And while it may not be the best idea to lure a boat to their island, it's the only idea they've got. Yugi will Sing one of the ancient songs, the music that led sailors to their deaths, to draw the crew into the Misplace's waters. He and Joey will keep guard, while Yami will resume his human seeming to meet Seto on the beach.

　

o0o

　

Yugi insists they make offerings in the shrines, ask the blessings of Aheni Who Sings (for the lure), of Nirzi Who Walks (to keep Yami safe on land), of Inomathus Who Shelters (to keep them safe), of Nirios Who Hears (that the human will listen), of Zol Who Binds (that they will be forgiven their breech of the law). He presses salted fish upon Yami, to offer the lales so that they will leave him in peace when he steps from ocean to shore. And even as they swim toward the surface, Yugi prays that all Those Who Bless will keep his beloved from harm.

 


	3. Those Who Walk on Broken Glass

After the buoyant world beneath the waves, Yami's limbs are leaden and slow in the air. His body feels heavy, strange; the legs that've replaced his tail are awkward, ungainly. Nirzi is generous, but their blessing isn't free.

As warned, every step on land feels like walking on razor-shards of broken glass.

His shelter has fallen over without him tending it, but Yami unearths and dons a pair of cut-off trousers from the ruins. Wearing clothing again feels strange after so long without it.

It's a relief to sit, relieving the pressure on tender feet grown unaccustomed to his weight.

　

o0o

　

As Yami steps again onto the land, the palms are bowing with the wind, dark fronds filled with reverent whispers. Overhead, the moon is a round paper lantern hung by Harib to light Yami's path. Moonlight gilds the sand in silver, makes diamonds of the spray striking the coral ramparts guarding the lagoon.

From the water, Yugi watches. It is like seeing Yami for the first time: long-limbed and graceful, bare beneath the sky. Yami's feet are slender, high-arched, fascinating. They press prints into the damp sand, nimble phrases to continue their old conversations on this crab-haunted beach.

This is a holy thing to see, Yugi thinks. An image fit for adorations. His mate is a creature of myth, risen from the waves, a spirit given form, human yet somehow divine. He walks as if dancing -- lightly, delicately, as if barely deigning to touch the ground. There is no sign of the pain Yugi knows that Yami is enduring, nothing but grace and purpose in every movement. Almost would Yugi beg Nirzi for legs this night, to permit him to walk the once with this man, alone on this sandy shore.

But there is much to accomplish this night, so he forces himself to swim away, out to sea where the boat lies at anchor. Out to where Yugi will Sing as no Siren has sung for centuries: to lure a human into his grasp. He can only pray that nothing will go wrong.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had something else in mind when I started writing Yugi's POV, but he had other ideas and insisted on taking things where they went. I was just along for the ride. (My characters are in charge of where the fic goes. I'm just the scribe.) XD


	4. The Spell of the Ocean (This is Not a Love Song)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan is put into action.

Once Yami's ashore, Yugi swims out to where the boat anchors. Joey's at his side, trident in hand and watchful eyes guarding their passage.

In days long past, Sirens lured sailors to their deaths. Yugi's never done such a thing but, like the songs of war, his Voice knows the proper cadence, the correct pitch to create allure. The boat's small, with few crew. His song will enthrall them easily, but he must be cautious.

He wants to lead them, not sink them, and the reef surrounding his lagoon is hungry. It'll feed on the boat if he lets it.

　

o0o

There is a strange sound in the air, an aural vibration that lures Seto from his cabin. The deck is in turmoil, men tripping over themselves to raise the anchor. The motor roars to life, temporarily blotting out the eerie noise rising from the waves. He barks orders at the crew and is ignored. The boat is moving away from his plotted search area, away from where he thinks Yami's yacht went down. Away from the answers Seto seeks. Toward, what? The night ocean is featureless and he's no seaman. There's a ripple on the horizon, like a heat mirage in the desert. For a moment, he thinks he sees palm trees silhouetted against the moon.

He sways with the unsteady movements of the boat, stumbling to the railing. The noise is louder there, almost musical now, almost a physical presence burrowing into his brain when he leans on the rail and looks down into the ocean... Seto is drunk or drugged. That's the only explanation for what he's seeing: mirages and hallucinations. First the island that isn't there and now a man in the water; a man with a fishtail and long hair, gliding easily alongside the racing boat. Clearly, the fish-man is a hallucination. _Simple_. Seto will just ignore it and it'll go away, and then he'll find which of the crewmen put something in his dinner wine and everything will be fine. _Normal_.

When he peeks again over the side of the boat, the hallucination is still there. The fish-man looks up at him, his torso rising from the waves -- and begins again to sing. There's nothing _normal_ in his song, nothing _simple_ about the complex notes that sink sharp hooks into Seto's brain and _pull_.

He barely hears the shouts of the crewmen as he tumbles overboard.

　

　

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There may be some delay for new chapters on all my stories. Fortunately, this chapter was already written. Right now I'm in a lot of pain from a broken tooth. The fastest dental appointment I could get is next week, so I'm probably not going to feel much like writing for awhile. If I do, I will; but no promises.


	5. That Sinking Feeling

Joey grabs the human as soon as he hits the water. This isn't part of the plan, but maybe it's better this way. Yugi releases the crewmen from his thrall, leaving them shouting for "Mister Seto!" and shining bright lights onto the water. Joey pulls the human under, leaves Yugi to sort out the boat before it strikes the reef.

The growl of the engine, the groans of the straining hull, vibrate through the churning water. Joey dives, dragging the struggling human deeper. Fast as a dolphin, he races for the lagoon.

Just in time, Joey remembers: _humans breathe air_.

　

o0o

　

Yugi watches in dismay as the hungry reef tears a shark-bite from the boat's hull. The men on deck shout incomprehensible words, throw something big and orange overboard. It blossoms when it strikes the waves, raft unfurling like a strange bloom. Seto's boat takes on water, listing. The crew abandon ship with alacrity, clambering into their floating flower. Kald's waves embrace the sinking boat like a sacrifice of old, and Yugi gives silent thanks he has not made an inadvertant offering to Phitrion Who Devours... at least not yet. The raft will drift 'til human rescuers come, but Phitrion's sharks assemble on the reef at every twilight hour and, like their master, they always hunger.

　

o0o

　

When Seto's head finally breaks the surface, his lungs are straining . He gulps air, too weak to struggle against the arms holding his face above the water. When an unfamiliar face drifts into view, he can only stare. The face is ordinary enough, framed by long hair encrusted, barnacle-like, with small ornaments. Seto tries to demand answers to the questions burning in his mind -- who, what, why? But his rescuer? Kidnapper? bares sharp teeth in what could be smile or threat -- and Seto finds himself pitched into the breakers, half swimming, half wave-borne into shore.

　

 


	6. The Last Hello

The first thing Seto sees when he drags himself onto the beach is his cousin, alive and well.

Yami doesn't look as if he's spent months on a lonely island. Sure, his clothes are rags, but his body is whole, his eyes clear. For some reason, his hair is long and knotted full of junk. He has the audacity to smile with no trace of surprise at his would-be avenger.

Seto's bedraggled, exhausted, and trying to work out whether he feels more elated or irritated in this moment. "If you misquote Twain at me, I'll punch you."

Yami laughs.

　

o0o

　

Yami is ridiculous in tattered cut-offs, his chest bare but for a plethora of necklaces. His arms sport bangles and bracelets, his fingers are wrapped in rings. His hair has grown long and is tangled with braids and twists, woven with bits of shell and glass and metal that sparkle in the moonlight. With his tanned limbs and bare feet, he looks positively bohemian. His smile gleams white beneath the full moon. It's a toss-up whether Seto wants more to hug him or hit him. He compromises by punching Yami's shoulder.

　

o0o

　

"Dweeb," Seto says. _I'm glad you're not dead,_ Yami hears.

　

o0o

　

The first rays of sunrise startle Seto with the realization that he and Yami have talked all night. It's the longest, most cordial conversation the two of them have ever shared, and they've used it to plot the downfall of Seto's father. Yami gives him everything: passcodes, bank accounts, the location of the "missing" wills. Seto now knows, or has confirmed, where "all the bodies are buried." The sun is setting on his father's reign and the warmth of the rising sun on Seto's face feels like hope.

Now all Seto has to do is figure out how to get them both off this island and back to civilization.

　

　

o0o

　

Giving away his hoarded information leaves Yami weightless, suddenly as buoyant on land as in the sea. All those leaden years, pressing down on his shoulders... How had he never understood? Living beneath the pall of his uncle's power was like being buried alive, confined in the ignorant dark, exhausted by expectations. Now he knows the freedom of wave and wind, the surety of acceptance, the sun-heat of love. Nothing remains for him in that other life and every secret spoken releases another tie binding him to his past. As the night passes, he speaks himself free.

　

 


	7. Shed Your Skin for Scales

"What do you mean you're not going back?!" Clearly, Seto thinks, the tropical sun has baked Yami's brain. "I'm not leaving you here!"

Seto hasn't come so far just to abandon Yami all over again. The dweeb grins fondly at him.

"I need to show you something." Yami leads the way to the water's edge. Just beyond the lagoon, a liferaft bobs on the waves. Their way out!

"I see it."

Yami arches an eyebrow. "Not yet, you don't," he says, and dives into the water.

When he surfaces, Yami flicks his long, golden fishtail in the air.

Seto faints.

　

o0o

　

Seto tells himself he's dreaming. He sways and stares at glimmering scales and elegant fins, gilded by moonlight. At long hair sparkling like a magpie's ornamented nest. At this fey stranger in his cousin's skin. Seto wonders when he fell into trance or sleep, that he's seeing this phantasm. He's never been one for fantasy or fairy-tales. What cryptic corner of his psyche has crafted this figment of his imagination? Has it all been an illusion? A daydream born of wishful thinking? The world grays at the edges and his thoughts scatter like shattering glass as the coral sand rises up to meet him.

 


	8. The Tale of a Tail

Seto awakes to sand in his face, water lapping at his legs, and someone calling his name. After a second or two, he recognizes Yami's voice and grumbles at him before the last few minutes return to memory and he scrambles up. There's a figment watching him from the water. A figment wearing his cousin's smirk.

"What _are_ you?" Seto demands, and gets an faceful of seawater for his troubles, flicked by an insouciant fin.

Some things, it seems, never change; Yami might be a fish-tailed dweeb now, but he's still a dweeb.

"Sit down," Yami says. "I'll tell you everything."

　

o0o

Yami's tale -- rather like his _actual tail_ \-- is ludicrous, but with the proof splashing in the water before his eyes, even Seto can't deny its truth. Even so, he tries to convince Yami to come with him, back to life on land. The two of them in partnership would be unstoppable; Seto's father won't know what hit him until he's floundering beneath the weight of their combined evidence. Seto has yet to decide which ruin would suit his father best: impoverished and outcast, or blackmailed within an inch of his miserable life. Seto savors the image of his father firmly under his thumb in a reversal of fate; it's an image he knows will keep him warm as he waits for rescue... and on the voyage home, after.

It takes seeing Yami together with the merman he calls 'Yugi', to make Seto realize that Yami means it when he says he has treasures here beyond anything his human life offers. Even sweet revenge. Only then does Seto accept that he will go home alone.

　

o0o

　

Yami isn't sure he could shed his scales forever, but even if it were an option, it's one he wouldn't take. All the riches of Yami's human life pale compared to Yugi's smile or the sweet pleasure of his embrace. Returning to the water is homecoming, the flick of fins and the shimmer of scales more familiar now than his human skin. Only one regret burdens his choice: this meeting has shown him that, had their lives been free from interference, he and Seto might have been friends. It weighs upon him as he slips through the water, returning Seto to his crew on their liferaft while Yugi and Joey keep the sharks at bay. Perhaps this isn't a forever goodbye, perhaps he'll see Seto again one day, however distant. Perhaps.

　

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more to go. I have it half-written, so I should be able to post it soon.


	9. Epilogue

Yugi calls the _kaldi_ , the wave sprites, coaxes them with promises of offerings -- sweet pressed cakes, small fish, fragrant oils -- to tow the orange raft back into normal waters beyond the _Mis-place_. He whispers propitiations to Phitrion, to the Nameless, and asks Maelus' currents to bless Seto's journey.

Shadowing the raft, the mermen do all they can to ensure the humans return safely to their world, with only Seto the wiser.

Yugi slips his hand into Yami's, secure in the knowledge that his mate is beside him, that all is at it should be. They turn to swim for home...

　

o0o

　

And that's when the Singers surround them.

　

 


End file.
